Angel 6X08: Solitaire
by hellsbuttmonkey
Summary: A mysterious warrior arrives in LA on a hunt for the Vampire with a Soul, and gets two for the price of one!
1. Chapter 1

**Angel 6X08: Solitaire**

**Chapter One**

The rain lashed down as Angel chased after the vampire. It turned a corner into a darkened alleyway, almost colliding with some trashcans as it skidded in the rain.

_Got him,_ thought Angel. _That alley is a dead end._

Angel turned the corner and faced down the vampire. The soulless beast snarled and charged headlong at Angel, fangs bared. In one fluid motion, Angel swiftly dodged out of the vampire's path, and drove his stake into the heart of the bloodsucker. As the dust settled on the floor, Angel felt another presence watching him, eyes staring deep into his back from deep in the shadows. He turned but there was no one, not a sight, scent or sound that anyone but Angel, and his prey were ever here. Angel shook his head, and started the walk back to the Hyperion before the Sun rose.

As Angel walked away, another figure stood atop a high building, watching the vampire champion intently. The figure was wrapped in shadows, a long black cloak draped around his shoulders. Across his back was a long ornate sword. His eyes shone with an unnatural green light, and a thin smile spread across his lips.

"He's the one? That is the vampire with a soul?" The man said, to no one in particular.

His eyes suddenly flared brightly and became a deep red glow.

"_Yes. He is the one. Destroy him, and be free…_"

In the Hyperion, Spike was sat on a sofa watching the television.

"No! It's not him! It's his evil twin, you bloody stupid woman!"

Laura came up from the training room in the basement to find out what the yelling was about.

"I'm watching _Passions, _now sod off; you're making me miss it…"

"You really do suck Spike, you know that?"

Spike's eyes didn't leave the TV set as he raised his arm and brandished his middle finger at the red haired Slayer.

Suddenly the hotel doors creaked open and Angel stepped through. Spike looked over at his grandsire.

"Took your time broody pants... The sun is almost bloody up."

Angel was about to bite back at the blonde vampire when Faith interrupted.

"Angel, I got some stuff here that you need to see."

"What is it?"

"There has been a jump in the number of demon and vampire slayings in the last couple of days…"

"Well, I have been out quite…" Angel started, swelling with pride.

"Not by you."

"Oh." muttered Angel, deflated. "Do we have another Slayer in town?"

"No, not that the Council have mentioned. Plus there have been a few reports of people being saved by a man, dark clothing, armed with an old lookin' sword."

"Could be some kind of demon hunter?" said Spike, shouting over from the couch.

"If it is," said Faith, "He's not quite human. People have mentioned him being very strong, and having glowing eyes."

In the darkened sewers, a Terrok demon ran through the tunnels. Terrok demons are massive, bulky beasts who fed on the hearts of their prey, humans. They are not known for being afraid, but this one ran as if its life depended on it. The beast turned a corner and ran into a dead end. It turned to escape, but came face to face with its hunter. The black swathed man stood tall in the tunnel, his eyes glowing green and drew his sword, brandishing it at the demon. The Terrok roared at the man, hoping to show some form of defiance and courage. The man's eyes switched colour to a deep blood red, as a bolt of power ripped from the sword and slammed the demon against the wall. The man walked over to the prone demon, and knelt beside him. His eyes changed back to the sickly green light as he jammed a long dagger into the demon's stomach, and twisted the blade.

"Tell me my ugly friend, where can I find the vampire with a soul?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Angel 6X08: Solitaire**

**Chapter Two**

_Tibet, 1033…_

"You cannot leave," said a tall wizened man. "The rules forbid it!"

"To hell with the rules! I will leave this place if I please, The Powers be damned!" yelled a younger, dark haired man.

"You have a duty Brother Judeus. A duty to the order, and to the world," shouted the older man. "You were chosen to protect this world from evil."

"What good will I be to the world locked in this fortress, away from Humanity?" said Judeus. "I will protect the world, but I will do it my way, Father Sammus. I will discover the secrets of the darkness, and fight it from within."

"If that is your way, then I shall not stop you." Sammus said. "But no good will come of your path..."

_L.A. the present day…_

The man held the demonic bartender against the wall by his throat. Pulling out a dagger, he slowly ran it across the demon's chest before lightly jabbing the tip into his throat, not enough to seriously injure him, but enough to cause him some pain.

"I was told that you would be able to tell me someone who would know where to find the vampire with a soul. Tell me."

_Spain, 1034…_

Judeus had travelled for months to arrive at his destination. The Temple of Irix stood before him, its huge form stabbing at the sky like an immense dagger. Now he could prove to The Order, to Sammus, and to the Powers themselves that the fight must be taken to the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, to bring them down before they made a move.

Judeus worked his way into the temple, encountering sparse resistance as he progressed deeper into the catacombs. Eventually his path was blocked by a huge stone door, a series of mystical symbols forming a keypad on the door. He had expected this, and already knew the password to open the door. Pressing the symbols, the door creaked open. Just beyond the doorway stood a huge demon, red skinned and scaly with massive horns jutting from its brow. This he had not expected. With a roar, the monster charged. Judeus drew his blade, and stood firm as the creature barrelled towards him. At the last moment, right before the demon collided with him; Judeus sidestepped, and drove the sword deep into the monster's stomach. It hit the ground with a thud, and Judeus continued on through the catacombs.

Eventually Judeus found a massive, lavishly decorated chamber. In the centre of the room was a huge black rock, glistening as if it were wet. Embedded in the top of the rock was a long ornate sword, its blade as black as the rock it rested in.

_Take it._

Judeus looked around. There was no one else present in the room, nowhere for the voice to have come from.

_Take it. Take it, and its power will be yours…_

As if in a trance, Judeus moved closer to the sword, drawn to it by the bodiless voice. Grasping the hilt of the sword, Judeus drew the weapon from the rock. A rush of power spread through his body.

The rock crumbled to dust, and the room was filled with inhuman screaming. Tendrils of flame spiralled up from the dust, spreading throughout the room. The flames converged into a single pillar, and plunged into Judeus' chest. As the last of the flames entered his body, Judeus stumbled back, eyes closed. Suddenly his eyes flicked open again, a deep blood red light burning from within.

_L.A. the present day…_

"The… the Hyperion." gasped the demon, blood running from a gaping hole where his left eye used to be.

"What is that?"

"It's a hotel. Angel uses it as a base. It's only a couple of blocks from here… Please, I told you all I know..."

"Yes, you have been most cooperative. You will die quickly for your assistance…"

_Tibet, 1034..._

The doors to the temple slammed open. Father Sammus jerked out of his meditation, and saw someone he never expected to see again. Judeus stood before him, eyes burning with a red light.

"Judeus? What has happened to you?"

A temple guard rushed towards Judeus, but an invisible force blasted the guard into a wall, snapping his neck on impact.

"_Judeus is gone._"

Sammus rose to face the man he knew as Judeus. He muttered the words to a spell under his breath. White light enveloped his hands and blasted from his palms towards Judeus.

"Go to hell…" Sammus growled.

Judeus caught the energy and hurled it back towards Sammus, knocking the old man from his feet. He drew his sword, and moved closer to his former mentor.

"_You first old man…_"

_Hyperion Hotel, L.A., present day…_

"Any luck finding that demon hunter?" said Faith as Angel walked into the hotel.

"No, but I have been finding stories of what sounds like our guy trashing bars and looking for information." Angel said, "And I the more I hunted, the more I got that feeling I was being watched again…"

Suddenly the hotel doors imploded. In the doorway stood a black clad man, wearing a long leather coat and brandishing a long glittering sword. His eyes burned with a deep red fire.

"_Allow me to save you the trouble of looking_."

With a blast of power he knocked Faith across the room and stood in front of Angel.

"_My name is Solitaire, and you are doomed…_"


	3. Chapter 3

**Angel 6X08: Solitaire**

**Chapter Three**

"Solitaire?" said Angel "Can't say I have heard of you..."

"_Then my name will be the last thing carved on your soul_."

Spike, Oz and Laura had arrived and were helping Faith up. Oz and Spike ran towards Angel, while Laura and Faith grabbed some weapons.

Oz quickly shifted into wolf form and lunged at Solitaire. The impact knocked Solitaire off his feet and slammed him into a wall. Oz slowly walked towards the warrior, as he rose to his feet.

"_Someone's been a bad dog…_" growled Solitaire in a strange double voice, as if someone was shouting through a loudspeaker. He raised his arm, and Oz was slammed into the wall with a blot of dark energy. The werewolf was knocked out, and changed back into his human form, lying prone on the floor.

"Oz!" shouted Laura, drawing her bow. The slayer fired, spitting death at Solitaire. Three arrows flew towards the warrior.

"Dodge that, scum." growled Laura. Solitaire smiled.

"_When you're this good, little girl, you don't need to dodge..._"

The arrows stopped mid-flight and dropped out of the air. Laura stood stunned for a second, then drew her axe, and moved up next to Angel, Spike and Faith.

Solitaire moved like lightning. As the two vampires engaged him, he swiftly avoided every blow from their weapons, twisting his body unnaturally to dodge. The two Slayers moved to the rear of warrior, and struck from behind, hoping the weight of numbers would force him down. They were wrong.

Solitaire used their numbers against them, timing his movements so that his opponents would clash with each other, and block their strikes. Suddenly Spike landed a lucky blow, knocking the sword from Solitaire's hand. With that, they had the advantage. Without the sword, Solitaire seemed almost in pain, as if he was connected to it somehow. He was still an exceptional fighter, but without his sword, he didn't seem to be anything but that. Even the burning red light in his eyes had dimmed.

Angel lashed out with a punch towards Solitaire, who managed to duck under his arm and deliver an elbow to the vampire's ribs, knocking him off balance and into Spike. The two vampires crashed to the floor, as Faith landed a swift kick to the side of the warriors head, sending him hard to the floor. Looking over at Angel and Spike, Faith smiled.

"You guys just lay there. Faith has got this one." She looked down at Solitaire. "Everything is five by fi…"

The Slayer was cut off as Solitaire took out her legs, driving her to the ground as he leapt to his feet, landing in a crouched position. Laura stepped up to pick up the slack, swinging her axe at the warrior's head.

Dodging the blow from Laura's axe, Solitaire rolled forward and grabbed his sword, before making a dash for the doorway. Stopping briefly at the doorway, he turned and flashed a vicious shark-like smile at the exhausted members of Team Angel.

"_I didn't realise there were two of you now… This will be interesting..._"

With that, he turned back and ran. Angel ran to the doorway, but he was already gone.


End file.
